Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has approved plans for a new asylum camp at MOD Bicester, a site near the Oxfordshire village of Piddington that held a symbolic vote to leave the UK in protest over the proposals.
The scheme will house 1,256 lone male asylum seekers at the site. MP Greg Smith announced the decision on Facebook this evening, saying it showed the Government 'don't give a stuff' about residents of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
Political Reaction
'This is totally outrageous and proves this government don't give two hoots about us here in Bucks,' Smith said. He added that he would keep working on two fronts: 'firstly to explore every avenue to get this decision overturned and secondly work with our police to ensure our villages are properly protected when the camp is opened up.'
In her letter, Rayner said she had approved the project 'subject to conditions'. Shadow home secretary Chris Philip called the move 'sickening'.
'I have met many women from the village who are scared for their safety but Angela Rayner doesn't care,' the Croydon South MP wrote on X.
Campaign Group Response
Wrong Plan Wrong Site, a group campaigning against the MOD Bicester site, told Metro the decision ignored 'crucial matters'. The group said the government failed to address issues about the site's 'safety, suitability or deliverability'.
Chair Janet Chamdal said: 'We are extremely disappointed that the Government has granted planning permission to MOD Bicester Site A, despite more than 3,000 public objections and significant concerns raised by statutory authorities, including Oxfordshire County Council.'
'The decision grants permission, but it does not resolve fundamental questions about the site's safety, suitability or deliverability,' she added. 'Our message remains simple: prove it works before you proceed.'
Background and Wider Context
The proposals caused uproar among villagers in Piddington, prompting a symbolic independence referendum in September in which 285 residents voted for the 'Principality of Piddington'. Locals cited falling house values and concerns for children's safety as reasons for objecting.
'We are terrified. Having a thousand men so close to the play park where families and children gather is just wrong,' one resident told Metro. 'It's not about Nimbyism, the government are just not listening.'
The Home Office has earmarked several other sites for camps as it pushes to move asylum seekers out of hotels, including plots in Barnham, Suffolk, and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. Officials previously said £1 billion of taxpayers' money would be saved by closing every asylum hotel in the country.
Metro has contacted the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for comment.
